Solar cells are popular for both space and terrestrial applications. It is desirable to accurately test solar cells based on the solar cell type and its operating environment.
Traditional solar cell testing techniques fail to provide the spectrum and stability for accurate testing of solar cells in various spectral environments that the cells may be used. For example, typical lamps used in standard solar simulators have inherent problems in certain wavelength ranges, in that they have large spikes in their output spectrum that are not matched to the solar spectrum seen in space or on earth. The capability to mask out or eliminate these spikes is desirable to make solar cell testing more reliable and accurate.
Another challenge is to test solar cells based on the environment the cells will be used in. This is especially relevant for terrestrial solar cells where the usage environment, for example, near the equator may be quite different from the environment near the arctic region.
Therefore, a method and system is needed that can accurately duplicate the real-life, spectral distribution that the solar cells may be exposed to.